Strip feeding apparatus



y 13, 1954 J. T. DAVIDSON ET AL 2,683,599

STRIP FEEDING APPARATUS Original Filed Dec. 11, 1946 JOHW D%$ON PERCY 6. ST/MSON Patented July 13, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE STRIP FEEDING APPARATUS Original application December 11, 1946, Serial No.

715,556, now Patent No. 2,650,090, dated August 25, 1953.

Divided and this application February 28, 1952, Serial No. 274,022

15 Claims.

This invention relates to record strip feeding apparatus for writing and imprinting machines, and particularly to means for adjusting the feeding apparatus to engage record strips of varying width and to compensate for lateral shrinking and expansion of the record material. This is a division of our application Serial No. 715,556, filed December 11, 1946, now Patent No. 2,650,090, for Stri Feeding Apparatus.

The present strip feeding mechanism is especially applicable to typewriters, tabulating, billing and addressing machines utilizing continuous form stationery.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction, as well as the means and mode of operation of record strip feeding mechanism, whereby it may not only be economically constructed, but will be more efficient in use, universal in application, uniform in action, have relatively few operating parts and be unlikely to get out of repair.

Another object of the invention is to provide laterally variable stri feeding means and vernier adjustment therefor, by which transverse expansion and contraction of the record material may be minutely compensated.

A further object of the invention is to provide strip feeding means adjustable in a lateral sense to selected positions of adjustment in a series of primary adjustment positions and further adjustable to supplemental positions of adjustment in each primary position.

A further object of the invention is to provide locking means for adjustably engaging the strip feeding device with its drive shaft for axial adjustment thereon into different positions of engagement, and for similarly engaging strip supporting discs on the shaft.

Still another object of the invention is to provide hinged feeding fingers for holding and guiding the record strip as it passes the strip engaging and feeding means and control means therefor.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a double feed arrangement wherein the feeding apparatus includes a pin wheel unit having feeding pins projecting progressively from opposite sides thereof and characterized by means for varying the circumferential area of projection of the feeding pins, such means being together with the hinged feeding fingers under the control of said control means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip feeding apparatus possessing the advantageous structural features, the inherent meritorious characteristics and the method of manufacture herein mentioned.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or their equivalents.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a detail view partly in section of one of the adjustable strip feeding devices.

Fig. 2 is a detail view from the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the strip feeding device locking detent.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of a releasable locking detent for an adjustable strip supporting disc.

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the strip feeding member anchoring device of modified form.

Fig. 8 is a detail side view, partly broken away showing the feed finger adjusting cam in operated position.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the feed finger mounting plate.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The feed mechanism includes a revoluble feed shaft I I on which is mounted one or more (usually two) pin wheel feed devices l2, such device or devices being interposed in a bight of record strip material so as to engage simultaneously both sides of the bight. Each pin wheel device includes rotary wheels 13 carrying feed pins M which are progressively projected for feeding engagement with the record strip on opposite sides of the pin wheel, the means and mode of operation involved in such action being substantially as disclosed in the patent to Sherman No. 2,000,649.

The feed shaft H is formed with a series of equidistant notches l5 defining primary positions of adjustment for the feeding device. Slidably mounted on the feed shaft l l is an anchor collar 56 having a latch device ll selectively engageable in any one of the notches 15 of the feed shaft l l to definitely anchor the collar l6. Rotatably mounted on the collar I6 is an internally screw threaded sleeve I8 having an enlarged knurled head 19. The sleeve l8 carries a stud 2| engaging in a peripheral groove 22 in an intermediate spacer collar 23, rotatively coupled to the anchor 3 collar l6 by a stud 24. The stud 24 engages a second peripheral groove 25 in the intermediate collar 23 to limit relative axial movement of the adjusting sleeve [8 relative to the stationary anchor collar I6 while permitting free rotation thereof.

The internally screw threaded adjusting sleeve i8 engages a correspondingly screw threaded hub 25 of the strip feeding pin wheel 3, to shift it axially to and fro. Spring pressed detent plungers 27 successively engage relatively spaced socket depressions 28 in the lateral face of a flange 29 of the intermediate collar 23, shown in Fig. l and Fig. 3 to temporarily retain the rotative adjusting sleeve i8 and the axially adjustable engaged pin wheel in their corresponding adjusted positions.

The pin wheel i3 is splined upon the feed shaft l for unison rotation by a key engaging a spline or key way Si in the side of the shaft H opposite its series of serrations I 5. The anchor collar it being temporarily locked to the feed shaft by its latch device ii, the pin wheel !3 may be minutely adjusted axially to and fro on the feed shaft H by rotation of the screw threaded sleeve iii.

The ordinary paper record strip is quite sus ceptible to expansion and contraction with change of humidity and weather conditions. A vernier adjustment of the strip feeding element 53 transversely of the strip being fed, enables the strip to be maintained transversely relatively taut and minimizes looseness and accumulation of slack which enables better imprinting or impres sion conditions.

The record strip bight is engaged both incoming and outgoing by opposite sides of the strip feeding pin wheels 3. The construction and arrangement is such that the pins l4 progressively engage the marginally punched feed holes of the record strip at opposite faces of the pin wheels 53. An adjustment of the pin wheel along the shaft Si thus serves to compensate for shrinkage or expansion of the record strip in a transverse direction.

The particular construction of the feed pin wheel anchoring latch is not essential. A simple but convenient detent latch is that shown in Figs. 1, 4.- and 5. This detent latch is equally adaptable for adjustably securing one or more strip supporting discs 32 upon the feed shaft H inter mediate the pin wheel feed devices I3. Such latch comprises a radially disposed reciprocatory plunger E? in the hub of the disc 32 or in the anchor collar :6 of the pin wheel feed device E3. The inner end of the detent plunger H is engageable in any one of the series of spaced transverse notches 55 of the feed shaft H. The detent plunger is yieldingly held in engagement with the feed shaft by a split spring ring 33 surrounding the hub of the collar E6 or supporting disc 32, which bears medially upon the outer end of the plunger ii.

In order to release the anchor collar or supporting disc for axial adjustment on the feed shaft H, the disc or collar is partially rotated upon the feed shaft as is shown in detail view Fig. 5, thus shifting the detent plunger out of the notch i 5 onto an unnotched face of the shaft H, as in Fig. 5, whereupon the body it or 36, as the case may be, may be freely slidingly adjusted to and fro, and finally by reverse rotation the detent plunger H may be restored to engagement with a selected notch l5. This is a simple, convenient and inexpensive manner of locking either the anchor collar IE or strip supporting disc 32 in their adjusted positions and quickly effecting adjustment thereon.

In lieu of the radial reciprocatory detent plunger l1, an anchor collar 34 and supporting disc may be provided with a substantially l-- shaped latch lever 35 pivoted at 35 and actuated by a spring 3?, to oscillate one arm of the L- shaped latch lever into engagement in a notch l5 of the series, as in Figs. 6 and 7. The detent latch lever 35 may be temporarily disengaged to permit axial adjustment of the body upon the shaft by a partial rotation as before described, whereby the latch lever is caused to ride to and fro upon an unnotched face of the shaft, until reengaged by reverse rotation.

To loosely maintain the marginally punched record strip upon the feeding pins M at opposite sides of the pin wheels l3, pivota-lly mounted swinging slotted guide fingers 38 are hinged at 39 adjacent to the pin wheels it. They are mounted in such relation that when in their inner or operative position they overlie the pin wheels with the slots 4| thereof in registry with the path of the traveling pins 14 of the coacting pin wheel, and the slotted guide finger in spaced concentric relation with the periphery thereof.

The hinged guide fingers are interconnected by retractile helical springs s2, which being eccentrically connected with the swinging guide fingers, permit the latter to move to and fro past dead center relation and tend to yieldingly hold the guide fingers 33 alternately in either operative or inoperative positions.

The forward slotted paper guide finger 38 being easily accessible may be manually oscillated toward and from overlapping relation with the pin wheel I 3 against the tension of the spring 22, to engage and disengage the record strip relative to the feeding pins l4. However, the paper guide 38 at the rear of the pin wheel, not being so easily accessible, may be shifted away from the pin wheel by manual oscillation of a cam plate 63, mounted concentrically with the shaft I I, having a radial handle extension 44.

In lieu of rotatively connecting the adjusting sleeve [8 with an intermediate spacer collar 23, as shown in Fig. 1, it may be directly engaged by a stud 2| projecting into a peripheral groove 55 in a hub portion of the anchor disc it: or 34 as is shown in Fig. 6.

With further regard to the lateral shifting of the pin wheel feeding device, the notches iii in the shaft 1 l are spaced apart a distance of which the widths of standard record strips are some multiple. Thus, they might, for example, be spaced apart a distance of five thirty seconds of an inch. In dealing with a great many or most form widths, therefore, quick adjustment from one form width to another can be obtained by shifting the entire pin wheel assembly to a new position of adjustment along the shaft i A. Some forms vary from the usual dimensions, however, and in these instances readjustment of the feeding unit to the closest primary position on the shaft H is followed by a supplemental relative adjustment of the pin wheel 13. In this connection, the spacing between the socket depressions 28 in the flange 29 may be spaced apart any desired distance, but preferably are equally spaced by distances the sum of which is a fraction, for example, one thirty second of an inch, of the distance between the grooves 15. In the example cited, therefore, there may be obtained with only one detenting movement as little adjustment for paper expansion as .0075. Four detenting movements, which the operator can count by hearing and feeling the clicking movements of the plunger 27, indicates that the pin Wheel has been moved one thirty second of an inch.

In summary, therefore, it may be seen that the main latch and groove arrangement may be used to give quick adjustment in five thirty second inch steps, while the vernier mechanism allows supplemental, fractional steps of the pin Wheel in each primary position and also incorporates the ability to take even finer steps to take care of paper expansion and contraction.

Referring again to the paper guide fingers 38, the cam plate 83 is arranged to operate the guide 38 at the rear of the pin wheel, and its motion is also used to effect and control the varying of the area of projection of the pins is, the element 43 in this respect corresponding to the manual arm in the Sherman patent referred to which is depressed to shift the area of projection of the feeding pins and so render the feeding device ineffective to engage and feed the record strip. As may be seen from a comparison of Figs. 2 and 8 hereof, when the cam plate 43 is positioned with the extension as in an upright position the back guide finger 33 is in closed or operative position upon the pin wheel and the areas of projection of the pins It are at the front and back of the pin wheel. This is the operating position of the parts, it being understood that the opposite sides of the bight of record material are at the front and back of the pin wheel. When the cam plate 43 is moved to the position of Fig. 8, with extension 44 approximately 90 removed from the position of Fig. 2, the guide finger 33 is in open position and the areas of projection of the pins 14 are shifted to the top and bottom of the pin wheel, where the pins are ineffective to engage the record material.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and ar rangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific a to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into effect.

Having thu described our invention, we claim:

1. A strip feeding apparatus for progressively advancing a strip of record material past a recording position of a writing or imprinting machine, including a revoluble feed shaft, a pair of axially spaced strip feeding devices carried by the feed shaft and progressively engageable adjacent opposite margins of the strip to progressively advance the record stri past a recording position, at least one of said feeding devices being axially adjustable upon the feed shaft, an anchor member associated therewith and fixedly engageable with the feed shaft in a selected one of a plurality of predetermined spaced positions, and an adjustable push-pull device interconnecting the axially adjustable strip feeding device with its associated adjustable anchor member to optionally shift the strip feeding device toward and away from the anchor member through minute degrees of adjustment to agree with variation of transverse dimensions of the record strip.

2. A strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine including a strip feeding device having progressive engagement with the strip, a shaft therefor, an anchor portion for the strip feeding device adjustably engageable with the shaft at predetermined longitudinally spaced points, and a vernier adjustment for the strip feeding device including a push-pull screw threaded sleeve adjustably interengaging the strip feeding device and the anchor portion therefor.

3. A strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine, including a pair of relatively record strip feeding devices, a shaft therefor, a connector variably interconnecting the strip feeding devices positively with the shaft in predetermined step by step relation, and a pushpull vernier adjustment operative to move at least one of-the strip feeding devices relatively to said connector optionally toward or from the other strip feeding device to optionally selected operative positions intermediate the predetermined step by step positions of adjustment.

4. A record strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine, including a strip feeding device progressively engageable with the strip, an anchor member therefor adjustable to alternate predetermined positions of adjustment, and a rotary member connected to said strip feeding device for relative rotary and unison axial mo tions and having a screw threaded connection with said anchor member and operative upon relative rotation to exert push-pull influence upon the stri feeding device to vary its relation alternately toward and from its anchor member.

5. A record strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine, including a strip engaging device, a shaft therefor upon which the strip engaging device is axially adjustable, a rotary latch carried by said strip engaging device and engaging said strip engaging device with the shaft including a radially disposed reciprocatory plunger, and an arcuate bow spring resting upon the outer end of th plunger and urging it longitudinally into engagement with the shaft to interlock the strip engaging device therewith.

6. A record strip feeding apparatus for a wri in or imprinting machine, including strip engaging device. a shaft therefor upon which the strip engaging device is axially adjustable, a series of spaced notches in one side only of the shaft, a reciprocatory spring pressed detent plunger engageable in a selected one of the series of notches in the shaft to temporarily lock the strip engaging device in an optional position of axial adjustment upon the shaft, and an oscillatory support for the plunger associated with the strip feeding device, the construction and ar rangement being such that by oscillatory motion of the support upon the shaf the detent plunger is shifted from an engaged notch onto an adjacent uninterrupted surface of the shaft, whereupon the strip engaging device may be slidingly adjusted to and fro on the shaft preparatory to reengagement of the detent plunger with a. selected notch of the shaft upon reverse oscillation of the support to align the detent plunger with the series of notches.

'7. As an article of manufacture, a disc, a hub therefor, a supporting shaft upon which the disc is axially and rotatably adjustable, a series of notches in one side of the shaft, a reciprocatory latch detent radially mounted in the hub of the disc for engagement with a selected one of the series of notches, and a split spring ring surrounding the disc hub and medially overlying the outer end of the detent plunger urging it into engagement with one of the notches of the series, the detent plunger being disengageable from the engaged notch against the yielding tension of the split spring ring by partial rotation of the disc on the shaft whereby the detent plunger is engaged with an unnotched face of the shaft, whereupon the disc is freely slidable to and fro thereon into another position of engagement of the detent plunger with a notch of the shaft upon reverse partial rotation of the disc.

8. A strip feeding apparatus wherein a revoluble pin wheel for progressively advancing a strip of material is axially adjustable upon a mounting shaft, including a revoluble screw threaded adjusting device engaging the pin wheel to effect axial adjustment thereof, and an anchor member axially adjustable on the mounting shaft and stationarily engageable therewith in its adjusted position, with which the revoluble pin wheel adjusting device is rotatively engaged to axially shift the pin wheel toward or from the stationarily engaged anchor member.

9. A strip feeding apparatus wherein a revoluble pin wheel for progressively advancing a strip of material is axially adjustable upon a mounting shaft, including an anchor device also axially adjustable upon the mounting shaft and stationarily engageable therewith in its adjusted position, and an intermediate adjusting member interconnecting the revoluble pin Wheel with the anchor member for axial adjustment of the pin wheel toward or from said anchor member.

10. A strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine, including a pin wheel, a body member secured to said pin wheel in axially adjustable relation, a shaft extending longitudinally through said pin Wheel and said body member, a series of equidistant adjustment positions along said shaft with which said body member is selectively engaged, and a supplemental adjustment for positioning said pin wheel variably axially of said body member within a distance corresponding to the distance between an adjacent pair of adjustment positions.

11. A strip feeding apparatus for a Writing or imprinting machine, including a strip feeding device having progressive engagement with the strip, a shaft on which said device is slidably mounted, a series of notches in said shaft, said notches being spaced equidistant from one another, an anchor member selectively engaged with said notches to position said feeding device on said shaft, and a supplemental adjustment for positioning said feeding device relatively to said anchor member variably within a distance corresponding to the distance between an adjacent pair of said notches.

12. A strip feeding apparatus for a writing or imprinting machine, including a pin wheel, a body member axially aligned with said pin wheel,

a connector element in screw threaded engagement with said pin wheel and operatively connected to said body member for unison axial and relative rotary motions, a shaft on which the assembly comprising said pin wheel, said body member and said connector element is mounted for longitudinal sliding motion, a plurality of adjustment positions on said shaft in which said assembly selectively is located, and means for latching said body member in selected positions of adjustment, said connector element being rotatable to effect relative axial motions of said pin wheel and said body member to define a supplemental range of adjustment of said pin wheel in each adjusted position of said body member.

13. A strip feeding apparatus according to claim 12, characterized by yielding detent means for said connector element defining determined increments of movement in said supplemental range of adjustment.

14. A strip feeding apparatus for progressively advancing a strip of record material in a bight past a recording position, including a pin wheel feeding device having feeding pins projecting progressively from opposite sides thereof to engage feeding configurations in opposite sides of the bight of record material, said feeding device being alternatively enabled and disabled by varying the circumferential areas of projection of said feeding pins, guide fingers on opposite sides of said pin wheel feeding device movable to and from positions holding the record strip engaged with the feeding pins, and manually operable cam means for effecting and controlling the move ments of at least one of said guide fingers and in conjunction therewith effecting and controlling the enabling and disabling of said feeding device.

15. A strip feeding apparatus for progressively advancing a strip of record material in a bight past a recording position, including a pin wheel feeding device having feeding pins projecting progressively from opposite sides thereof to engage feeding configurations in opposite sides of the bight of record material, said feeding device being alternatively enabled and disabled by varying the circumferential areas of projection of said feeding pins, guide fingers on opposite sides of said pin wheel feeding device movable to and from positions holding the record strip engaged with the feeding pins, means for effecting and controlling the varying of the area of projection of said feeding pins, other means for effecting and controlling the movements of at least one of said guide fingers, and an actuator part common to said means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 455,944 Howe July 14, 1891 1,882,303 Seaholm Oct. 11, 1932 2,000,649 Sherman Oct. 18, 1938 2,285,197 Euth June 2, 1942 2,311,051 Hope Feb. 16, 1943 2,400,226 Euth May 14, 1946 

